Hindi
‘Force 2’ piracy: Viacom18 registers FIR; KSS blames it on a theatre
MUMBAI: The Cyber Crime Investigation Cell, BKC, Mumbai, has registered an FIR against K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Ltd (K Sera Sera) upon a complaint filed by Viacom18 in relation to online piracy of its film ‘Force-2’.
However, K Sera Sera Digital CEO Rahul Kanani had, on 7 December 2016, filed a police complaint against Prakash Cinema of Dabra, Madhya Pradesh, for the violation via a camcorder under different sections of the IPC and the Copyright Act, at the Amboli (Mumbai) police station, a copy of which has been sent to indiantelevision.com. The same had been intimated to Viacom18 via email as well as hand delivery of a hard copy which had been acknowledged, KSS claimed.
Starring John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha and Tahir Raj Bhasin, Force 2 was released on 18 November, 2016 and the pirated print of the film was found online on the same day.
Viacom18 has alleged in the complaint that the film had been leaked online by K Sera Sera, thereby infringing Viacom18’s copyright on the film along with other offences committed by K Sera Sera under Information Technology Act, Copyright Act and Indian Penal Code.
K Sera Sera was one of the firms hired by Viacom18 for digital integration of its film ‘Force 2’, wherein the Digital Content Package (DCP) was sent to K Sera Sera before the release of the film. In order to tackle the menace of online piracy and identify the leak at source, Viacom18 had developed a pioneering internal security mechanism, involving the integration of unique identifiers in each copy of the film before the DCPs were distributed to the digital integrators.
Upon the release of the film, it was found that ‘Force-2’ was available in full length on various websites for both unauthorized download and streaming in a blatant act of movie piracy, the Viacom18 complaint stated.
Investigations by the Viacom18 team revealed that pirated copies originated from the one that was sent to K Sera Sera for Digital Integration.
According to Viacom18 spokesperson, “It is really frustrating to suffer a loss due to online piracy as tremendous amount of money is invested in production, promotion and distribution of a film. This mechanism developed by us can trace the source of piracy and further strengthens our commitment to battle movie piracy. I believe that a concerted effort from the Indian film industry and support from the general public will go a long way in eradicating this illegal act. The cyber cell is presently investigating the offences complained of and it is likely to bust the nexus involved in this illegal activity. We hope the culprits are caught and brought to justice.”
Indiantelevision.com reached out to K Sera Sera on Thursday morning, and it stated: “We would like to clarify that we have not received any intimation from neither Viacom 18 nor from the Cyber Cell department of the Mumbai Police about the said case.”
K Sera Sera further added, “As a part of this practice we regularly conduct audits of various across cinema chains where our servers are installed to stem any attempt of piracy. In November 2016, we identified one such attempt for piracy of the movie Force 2.
• On 18 November 2016, as a part of our audit process, we purchased pirated DVDs of Force 2 from the market
• All the movies distributed by us contain an additional watermark which helps us in our audit process
• We inspected these DVDs for our hard-coded watermark and found one of our watermarks on a DVD, linking to Prakash Cinema in Dabra, Madhya Pradesh. The piracy seemed to be on account of a camcorder in the cinema hall.
• Following this discovery
o We immediately terminated the contract as well as access to the digital server for Prakash Cinema.
o We also withdrew the physical server from Prakash Cinema to check for any other attempts of infringement.
o On 7 December 2016, a complaint was filed in Amboli Police Station, Mumbai against Prakash Cinema.
o On the same day (7 December 2016) we intimated Viacom 18 about the entire matter with Prakash Cinema via an email, which also included a copy of the Police Complaint.
o On 8 December 2016, a hard copy of the email to Viacom 18 along with the Police Complaint was hand delivered to Viacom 18. The receipt of the same had been acknowledged,” KSS stated.
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Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
